Tuning Up the President’s Message on Climate Change

Was it just me or did President Obama sound unprepared for a question on climate change at his press conference on Wednesday? Considering climate change is a top national issue, I was expecting a much stronger response from the President. Here’s a breakdown of the three things he flubbed and my perspective on how to tune up the President’s message on the issue.

What we should have heard: “Hurricane Sandy showed the nation what the real cost of extreme weather can be. Scientists agree that with climate change we can expect a rise in the number and severity of these kinds of events.”

“I am a firm believer that climate change is real” – This sentence commits two classic communications errors that play right into the hands of climate deniers. First, the sentence establishes the idea that belief in climate change is a personal choice. Second, making the assertion that climate change is “real” suggests that the opposite is also a possibility. Think about it. Would you assert your belief that gravity is real? Of course not.

“I think the American people right now have been so focused…on our economy and jobs and growth that…if the message is somehow we’re going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change, I don’t think anybody’s going to go for that.” – The President again commits the mistake of accepting the opposition’s framework that the cost of addressing climate change is bad for the economy and jobs.

Here’s what the president should have said , “Hurricane Sandy has shown us just how costly climate change can be. Failing to take action on climate change exposes our economy and jobs to unacceptable risk. We have an obligation to protect our children’s future by taking concrete steps now to address it. Furthermore putting the right policies in place will position our nation’s industries for leadership in clean business and technologies globally.”

Overall, I think the President’s answer reflected an ‘inside the beltway’ assessment of the political landscape. His approach understimates the will of the American people to do something about climate change. The public opinion numbers are clear. Since 2010, the number of Americans who believe in climate change has increased by 13%. And that correlates with the 88% of registered voters who support government action on global warming even it had a negative impact on our economy (Yale & George Mason University).

Mr. President, Americans want leadership on climate change and the political conditions are lining up to support action. Rather than rehashing the debates of the past, it’s time to engage the country in a constructive and aspirational discussion of our responsibility to future generations and to embrace our historic passion for meeting big challenges with American ingenuity.

I'm CEO of Recurrent Energy, a leading developer of solar projects for utilities and large energy customers. Recurrent Energy develops, builds, finances, and operates solar power projects--marketing clean electricity at competitive rates via Power Purchase Agreements or feed-in tariffs in North America, Europe, and emerging markets worldwide. Recurrent Energy is a US subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, following the sale of the company in 2010. With a 2-Gigawatt pipeline and over 330-megawatts of signed projects, we're well on our way to building a fleet of clean power plants sited right where they're needed most.